Quote Originally Posted by Richard Hare View Post
All hammers (frizzens) must have a very hard face to work, and the muskets were fitted with these as standard. Not sure why in the OP Gage sounds innovative, when they were always that way.
I'm a bit non-plussed on that one!

While it is true that the hammer face was harden, it is also true that properly done this was only the surface so as to avoid it being too brittle and subject to breakage. Over time the surface wore down, leaving softer metal exposed and thus giving less spark and more misfires. In that era a commanding general stooping so low as to worry about musket maintenance was unusual to say the least. By ordering the rehardening of all hammers of arms under his command set him apart and thus worthy of note. Given the length of time it takes for the military chain of command to address weapon system deficiencies even in modern times (was in logistics for the Marine Corps for 27 years), I must say that a senior commander that worries about detailed maintenance issues today remains fairly rare.